Flowerbud Fever
by barleyawake
Summary: A girl moves to Flowerbud by mistake. She stays only because she needs the money to move out! Will anything in the little village be able to change her mind? Or will she turn and leave after she's saved enough?
1. A New Home

Hello everyone! Ok, well this'll be my first fic, so I hope it turns out ok.

This story's basically about my character Beth, and how her life goes on in FlowerBud Village. I'm not very good at summaries… sorry about that!

I looked outside the train window and smiled at the passing trees. The scenery was so beautiful! I let out a sigh and faced forward. I was finally moving out of my house… well… actually, it was more like I was _kicked_ out. Ugh. Needless to say, the bills were too high. And they were blaming _me!_ Ok, well it doesn't matter. I'm kind of exited about the thought of having my own place.

My name's Elizabeth. But everyone calls be Beth back where I come from. I'm nineteen years old. My birthday was last week, actually. Oh, where am I moving to? I'm going to the big city! New York City! Yep. Big city life's the one for me! The train was speeding on, so I closed my eyes. They'll wake me up when we get there… right? Besides, it's not like I'd be asleep for hours…

…

I opened my eyes after a few minutes of resting them and stared out the window., and I watched as… my stop sped off! "What!? No!" I stomped my foot, "I can't believe this!" I ran forward down the isle, "Someone stop this train! I missed my stop…"

A tall man responded, "Sorry kid. The next stop's not for a few hours."

My jaw dropped. "T-that can't be…" I pouted and took my seat. Stupid train… not waking people up when they get to their stops! I stayed awake this time, until we got to the next stop. I picked up my suitcase and quickly stumbled off the train. I looked up to see where I was. "Flowerbud Village?" I called aloud. This was definitely no city… but I sighed, it was getting late. I might as well stay the night. At least until I could get another train ticket.

I walked only a few feet, when a man with a mustache and a tall red hat greeted me. He was grinning from ear to ear, and shook my hand violently. It kind of… scared me.

"Welcome to Flowerbud Village! You must be here for 'The Exiting Ranch Plan'!"

Exiting _what!? _I shook my head, "Uhh… no. Actually, I'm only staying here for a night. I missed my stop see—"

He apparently didn't hear me. "So which peace of land would you like? Village? River? Oceanside?"

"You don't understand! I don't want to live here!"

He looked at me like I had just stabbed him in the heart, "But why? Does my village sicken you? What's wrong with it?"

My heart sank. _Oh great…_ "No! I'm sure it's a very nice village. It's just… I already have an apartment in New York City… and…"

He sighed, "No I see. But I wish you would try it. You can make a fair income here. I'm sure it could pay for a train ticket. Or a plane ticket after a while."

I felt my face redden. I didn't have any money left, I realized. I slowly nodded, "Ok. I guess I can stay for a little while. Where were those houses again?"

He grinned, "There's Oceanside, Riverside, and Village square!"

I pondered. I always loved the beach… so I could go with that. "I guess the beach?" "Well, if you take _that_ spot… see the farming won't be very good!"

I sighed. I didn't really care. I wasn't staying that long. "I don't care." I muttered, "I'll go with the beach."

He nodded, "Very good! Now… if you'll follow me to your new home—"

I sighed, and shook my head. When we arrived I looked up and down at the little shack that awaited me. I shrugged though. I'd only be staying a little while, after all. I didn't even look at the ocean before stepping inside. It was so cramped inside! I could barley move at all, and the house smelled like dirty clothes. I pinched my nose, and let out and 'ugh…' when I heard a knock at the door. Visitors? Already?

A girl (I think) stood outside. They seemed to be a few years older then me. A little dog sat at the person's feet, yipping and barking happily. I raised my eyebrows. _Kinda__loud…_

"Why hi!" I looked up to hear a girl's voice. "I'm Ellen. I work at the ranch near the river. You're new here?" I managed a small nod. So she was a she after all. Ellen continued talking, "Well, it's good to meet you Miss…"

"Beth. I'm Beth." I answered quickly.

"Oh! Well hi Beth. I hope you'll like it here."

I nodded, "Yeah. Thanks, I—"

Ellen cut me off, "See, the thing is, we can't keep this little puppy at our ranch and well, we were hoping you could keep him!"

She had to be kidding. I'd never get any sleep if this thing lived here! After all, it hadn't started barking once yet. "I uh—"

"Great! Think of a name then."

I blinked, but didn't argue. All I really wanted was to rest. Maybe I could leave him outside.

"Okay. I'll call him Bandit." It was the first thing that came to my mind. Besides, it suited him somehow.

Ellen nodded, "Great. Well, have fun taking care of him!" With that, she curtsied, and went on her way.

I stared at the dog, "Well what are you looking at? Go in the dog house. It's right over there!" I pointed and went inside. I collapsed on the bed, and quickly fell asleep. Tomorrow was a new day.

I had the strangest dream. There was the most beautiful fairy! Or something… I'm not quite sure what it was. Anyway it went something like this...

"_People forgot how to appreciate. Forgot how to love. And my existence."Three elves _(Or something I was not quite sure_) watched her, speechless. "Good bye everyone." _

_The fairy said and turned to stone. Each elf cried out. _

_"Ahh! The harvest Goddess turned to stone!" _

_Another pretty much copied the first, "Ahh! The harvest Goddess!"_

_ "Ahh!" _

_A person with purple hair appeared at the scene. "What has she turned to?" With a glance at the "Harvest Goddess", the person's eyes widened, "I… will get you back to normal."_

After that, I woke up. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. "Ok… that was weird." I decided to get up and check out the town. Might as well meet some people while I'm here, right?

When I opened the door, the three elves from my dream were standing on my doorstep! I blinked and pinched myself. _I'm still dreaming._ I thought. But when I looked back, they were still there."Whaaaat!?"

The elves looked surprised, "Can you see us?" they questioned. I was a little freaked, but I nodded. They jumped. "Yay! We're the harvest sprites! Come with us, please!"

"Yea, come with us!" another added.

They took me to the same spring in my dream. The same statue of the Harvest Goddess was there… This was too weird. They began talking again. "The harvest goddess turned to stone a year ago."

"She's been like that ever since…"

"We need you to help us collect notes. It'll get her back to normal!"

I shrugged. Yeah. I'd be happy to help. It'd help pass the time while I was here. "There are 100 notes in all." commented a sprite. My jaw dropped, but I nodded,

"Yeah ok."

There was a sound behind me. The person with the purple hair stood behind me.A sprite cheered, "Jamie! We can look for notes together!"

Jamie (I assume he was a guy) looked angry, "I don't want to hang out with any of you! I'll save her myself. You'll see." He shot me a dirty look, and ran off. I narrowed my eyes. Jerk.

The sprites handed me a pedometer. "Good luck!" They called. I shrugged and took a step. A glowing musical note appeared in front of me.

"What the—!?" I called.

The sprites smiled, "You got your first note! Every journey begins with a single step!" I raised an eyebrow, and then began to walk away. Back at my house, I discovered that Bandit wasn't in his doghouse…

"Oh crap…" I bit my lip, and looked everywhere for at least and hour. When I couldn't find him I burst through my door, to find him asleep at the foot of my bed. I couldn't help but smiled. I guess he was kinda cute. I shrugged. I guess he could stay in the house, so long as he didn't bark all night. I yawned once more and crawled into bed, with Bandit at my feet. Good night… Tomorrow I'll check out the town for real.

**Disclaimer:** Ok. I don't own Harvest Moon. I wish I did. :O

Note: Ok. That was the intro chapter. It will get better as it goes on. It won't all be about her collecting notes, but it'll be part of it. Let me know if anyone wants me to continue.


	2. New Neighbors

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon, sadly.**

I woke up the next morning to a loud knocking on my door. I shook my head and stretched, glancing at my alarm clock. It was 6 am. 6 am!? Well, who goes around knocking on people's doors this early!? I normally didn't wake up back home until 7:30 at the earliest.

I groaned, and pressed a pillow over my head, hoping the person would just go away. When the annoying knocking didn't stop, and Bandit began barking, I let out a scream. "Alright! I'm coming. Geez!" I scrambled out of bed and stepped toward my door in a sloth-like kind of way. When I opened the door, a very tall muscular man greeted me.

"Hello! My name's Bob. I work at Blue Sky Ranch."

I rubbed my eyes, "Yea… waddyawant?"

"Sorry?" he questioned, "Didn't quite get that last part." He laughed.

"Ok… what do you want, then?" I was getting a bit tired of standing in the doorway by now.

"I'm here to show you how to use the shipping bin and such." He pointed to a little box by my mailbox. "That's your shipping bin. Put items in there you want to sell. Just don't put anything you want to keep in there. You won't get it back."

I rubbed my eyes. _Like I need instructions on how to put things in a box…_ I shook my head though, "Alright."

Bob walked behind my house, "Your lumber shed is back here. When you chop up wood, it comes back here automatically." _How does that work!? _ I thought, shaking my head. "You can't put already chopped lumber in here though." I shrugged and nodded like I understood, but I really didn't care.

Bob sighed, "Well, I guess I better go. If you have any questions, come visit me at the Blue Sky Ranch!" He smiled genuinely. _Yeah. I'll definitely do that._

I rolled my eyes to myself and nodded, "Yeah. Sure."

With that, Bob had turned and left. I sighed with relief. I looked around quickly, and stepped out. I began walking down the path, enjoying the smell of the village.

There really wasn't that much to see… so I opened a door at random. There was furniture sitting in the room, and a rather old man standing at a counter.

"Welcome! You must be that new farmer girl." _Farmer girl!?_ I forced a smiled, "My name's Woody. You should come here if you ever want anything remodeled."

I nodded slowly, "Okay." A couple seconds later, two young men, - they couldn't be much older than me- walked into the room. One wore a star bandana, and had brown hair covering part of his face. The other was taller. He looked a lot like bandana boy, but his hair was spiky. _They're cute…_I smiled.

"These are my apprentices. This is Joe. And that's Kurt."

Joe smiled at me, "Yo!" Kurt, didn't smile or anything at me. He didn't even say anything. I have to admit he intimidated me a little…

I smiled, "Nice to meet you." I shook everyone's hand. I'll come back and visit. You know if I need anything that is."

Joe smiled at me once more, and I could feel a blush creeping in my cheeks. I tried to hide my face. _Ugh. Why does he have such a cute smile?_ I couldn't stay much longer, or my face would probably be as red as a tomato.

I ran out of there and sighed. Darn my weakness for a cute smile. I shook it off and began walking again. I found myself walking along the river, when I smacked into someone. "Ouch!" I called as I fell down, "Ok. Who knocked me over?!" I shouted as I struggled to my feet, in front of me stood my suspect. A blue eyed, brown haired man carrying a fishing rod. He blinked at me,

"Sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention."

I nodded, "Umm… uh huh." I mumbled, finding my self getting lost in his eyes. _Grr__… __Stupid cute guys._

"My name's Ray. I'm a fisherman." I gulped and smiled,

"B-beth." I shook my head, "Sorry. I'm Beth. I'm staying here for a little while." I let out a nervous giggle.

Ray nodded, "Oh, ok. Hey, let me know if you ever want to go fishing, alright?" He raised an eyebrow and walked past me.

"Great!" I called and groaned. _Nice one Beth. He must think I'm a complete idiot._ After a while I had met mostly everyone in town. I even went to the Blue sky ranch for a visit. I saw Ellen again, and she asked me how Bandit was doing. Bob was there, but I tried steering clear of him.

There was a man with a hat in the field of the ranch. When I tried talking to him, he seemed to just glare at me. I was surprised at this, so I decided to leave him alone. _What a jerk._

I saw an explorer-looking guy walking, and examining plants and flowers. I walked up behind him, "What'cha doing?" I asked, startling him. He jumped and pulled a rather pretty looking flower out of the ground. I assume it was an accident, because he didn't look to happy… at all.

"Sorry…" I bit my lip. "I didn't mean to…" _Great.__ I sound like a whiney little kid!_ I shook my head, "I'm Beth. I'm staying here for a little while. I really don't know much about this place yet."

The green-clothed man shook his head, "Ahh. It's nothing. I'm Basil. I'm a botanist see." When he saw the look of confusion on my face, he chuckled. "I study plants and look for undiscovered ones." I nodded. _Ok. That's… nice… I guess._

"If you see any interesting plants, tell me." He nodded and handed me the flower, "You can take this. I don't need it." I took the flower, and Basil turned and began examining more flowers.

I blinked at the flower. I'm not one of those girls who loves flowers. I'm allergic. Still, it's the thought that counts, right?

The next day, I discovered my tool box! I took out the hammer. A red-head that I had met the previous day by the name of Ann, told me about a mine, where you can find treasure. It sounded exiting to me! So I decided to check it out. The first time I hit a rock, I found out just how heavy this hammer was. "Whoa… why is it so heavy?" I asked myself aloud.

I hadn't found anything after at least an hour, and I was getting extremely tired and weak. _Maybe I should go home now…_ I thought. _ No… I want to find at least one thing!_ I brought my hammer down on another rock. There was silver inside. I let out a whoop and picked it up. _Just one more and I'll leave._ I nodded. But I was getting awfully tired…I brought my hammer down with great force again. This time gold was within the rock! I bent to pick it up, but a wave of exhaustion swept over me. I didn't even have strength to pick up the gold. I felt myself sway, and I blacked out.


	3. A Festival?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon. ****:P**

Chapter 3

I heard a voice… I couldn't quite understand what the voice was saying, but it was warm and kind. My eyes slowly fluttered open. I blinked once. Where was I? I sat up and glanced around. A doctor's office? At least that's what it looked like. But how'd I get here?

"I see you're awake." A dark haired man, with serious but gentle eyes stepped into the room. "Welcome back. You passed out. Remember not to work yourself to hard."

I blinked, "Um… if you don't mind… who brought me here?"

The doctor looked me up and down, "Ann did. She says she found you in the caves. You've been here a few hours now."

I nodded. Ann seemed nice enough, but if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be in this mess at all! I sighed, "What's your name anyway?" I looked up at him.

He smiled, "I'm Alex. Most people here call me doctor." _Alex. That was my ex-boyfriend's name._ I managed a grin,

"Ohh. That's a nice name. I'm Beth. I'm staying here for a few days." _ I hope only a few days. _There was a long silence that followed. "Er… I'm going now…" I muttered and slid off the bed.

Alex waved, "Come back if you're feeling sick."

I ran out of there as fast as I could, when I paused for a breath, a note appeared in front of me. The "limitation note." I blinked. Did I really get a note for passing out? _Cool. _

Another surprise occurred when I threw the silver I found in the shipping bin. I received the "First Shipping note." I laughed. _This is easier than I thought._ No matter. I'd be in New York City within days!

A few days later I noticed no one seemed to be around, but I did hear a lot of noise coming from the square. I walked (well, ok, I ran) to the square only to find out there was a festival going on! The egg festival. I… wasn't much of a fan of the breakfast foods, but I saw plenty of sweets. And I love sweets.

I noticed a few of my acquaintances standing around, and the closest thing I had to a friend in this tiny village, Ann. I approached her first. "Hi Ann! Do you guys have this festival a lot?" I asked, taking note of how many eggs stood at Jamie's table.

Ann nodded, "Yea! Well, not this festival. But we have a few each month."

"Oh. Well I guess this place needs a few festivals a month. I mean, it's pretty boring here." Oops. "T-that came out wrong…!"

Ann laughed, "That's just because you don't really know anyone yet. Besides, if you stopped by the junk shop and helped me with my inventions, you certainly wouldn't be bored!" I shrugged. _Maybe._

"So… Ann. Is there anyone you like here? Crush wise?" I felt a grin cross my face.

Ann blushed._ That's a first. _

I laughed. "So who is it? Huh? Come on Ann. I'll keep your secret."

She bit her lip, "Well… I mean. Blue's kind of cute, yea." I blinked. _Blue? Who's Blue? _I thought, then I remembered that he was the guy with the blue hat.

"Blue? Really…?" I tried to sound interested.

Ann frowned, "What? What's wrong with Blue?"

I sighed, "Nothing. I mean, he's just… kind of shy and a bit of a jerk. And well you're peppy and nice." Oh crap. I pissed her off. She had a look of total anger and something else I couldn't put my finger on. "Uhh… I mean he's—"

"Blue is a great person! You just walked into this village a few days ago! What gives you the right to criticize people you don't even know?!" She glared at me and shook her head, then stomped off.

I didn't have much time to think on what she said, because soon after she left, a man with chocolate brown eyes and curly brown hair approached me. I smiled. He had really nice eyes… but I wasn't a big fan of blondes. _Oh jeez. I'm so shallow… _He introduced himself as Carl, and I told him my name. Carl smiled, his brown eyes never left mine. I have to say it scared me a little… I smiled, "Um… so… Carl, how are you?"

"Oh I'm great! I want to open a café here one day! It'll have everything from tea to cake! I have to save money up first though!"

I blinked "That sounds good, Carl." He continued to talk at me about his dream of opening a café. I inched away, "Look, I think I hear… er" I looked around to see Joe, and used him as my excuse, "Joe calling me! Gotta go!" I ran off toward Joe, glad to be rid of Carl. _Ok… that was __mean. But he deserved it! Kind of…_ When I stopped in front of Joe he grinned that grin at me. I turned red, "Um… hi Joe! How… how are you?"

"I'm great, Beth. And you?" I looked behind me and saw Carl talking to Ellen.

With relief, I turned back To Joe. "I'm fine now!"

Joe laughed, "You seem full of pep today."

I let out a breath, "It must be the pudding." Joe smiled.

I bit my lip,"Um… I had a plate but I mean… it wasn't that much… but I guess well…"_You idiot._I told myself. _Stop rambling already!_

"Haha! Beth you're cute."

I blushed fiercely, "W-what?"

"You're just so… kiddish. It's cute."

_Kiddish!?__ Was he calling me a kid?_ "I'm not a kid!"

Joe only chuckled again, "It's ok, Beth. It's good to have some kid spirit in you."

_Great.__ He thinks I'm the most immature thing in this place…_ I ran a hand through my hair- a nervous habit of mine. "Um… I have to go now Joe. I-I… I'll talk to you later."

I sighed. Today was a complete mess! I pretty much lost Ann as my friend, and now Joe thought I was a complete retard. Before I could open the door to my house I received another note. The egg note. I smiled._ I can't believe I got a note for showing up at a festival…_ That was good though! So today wasn't a total loss after all. I got a note, but now Joe and Ann hate me. _I'll be gone soon though. Then they can relax._ I realized with a sigh.

That night I dreamed about Joe… He was standing over a playpen, and smiled as if he was looking at the cutest puppy in the world.

"Beth you are just the cutest baby!" he laughed. _Baby?_

I looked around and realized that I was the baby. I shook my head, "NOOOOO!" I yelled.

I woke with a start, and shook my head. "Ugh… that was so weird." I told Bandit who was staring at me with a look of deep concern. "Bandit, you don't think I'm a baby, right?" Bandit just stared, and yipped once. _Right.__ Dogs can't talk. Only a kid wouldn't know that. _ I laid my head down and struggled to get back to sleep. I would prove to Joe that I was no kid before I left. I would!

The next morning I heard a knock at my door. I groaned. _Can't I go one morning in this place without getting a visitor!?_ I stood up though and walked to the door. When I opened it, I couldn't believe who was standing there.

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**That's it for chapter 3. How was it? Read and review please:D I'd appreciate it.**


	4. Getting to know em'

I stared outside to the person standing in my door. "Um…Joe?" I stared at the ground, feeling my ears go red. "Hi Joe. H-how's it going?"

Joe smiled—that gorgeous smile— at me. "Yo. I just came by to say hello. You ran off pretty fast yesterday."

"Yea. Well I… I guess I just got tired." I lied.

"Well! That's all I wanted to say really. Come by Woody's if you ever want me to build anything."

"I-I'll do that. See you later Joe." With that, I quickly shut my door and slid down on my knees. After a moment, I realized I had just slammed the door in his face. I stood and there the door open, but he was gone… I rubbed my head in regret, but decided to hit the town.

My first stop was Blue Sky Ranch. I walked up to the counter to make my grocery purchases. Hank greeted me with that drunken smile.

"Hey! If it isn't little Beth."(I couldn't help but grimace at this. Did everyone really see me as a little kid?) "So, what can I get you today sweetie?"

"I just need milk, eggs and cheese." I sighed, pulling the money from the pocket. I was definitely running out… Hank seemed to notice this so after he gave me my merchandise, he spoke.

"You know darling, you can always buy a barn, and a chicken coop. That way you don't have to buy milk all the time. In fact you can sell it!" I forced a smile.

"Well, thanks for the idea, but I'm not planning on staying here that long. Besides, wouldn't that be pretty expensive?"

"Well… yes. You'll have to pay for materials to build the barn, food for the animals, and the livestock." Hank admitted.

"Yea… I just can't afford that. I'll just stick with buying my own groceries. Besides… I'm not such a huge fan of animals." Hank looked at me like I'd committed a sin. I was afraid to look him in the eye as I ran outside, hand covering my face. I didn't see the person I smacked into, until I fell to the floor, and spilled my groceries everywhere.

"Damn it!" I swore, rubbing my head with my hand, "Way to go, jerk! You spilled my milk everywhere." I sighed and picked up a piece of eggshell. So much for the eggs…

I looked up to see the culprit and shook my head. I'd literally run into this guy just a few days before. I think his name was Ray? Yea that's it. "Do you ever look where you're going?" I said, helping myself up, as Ray simply stood there dumbly.

"Sorry. Sometimes I get lost in thought." He looked down on my groceries. I could tell he was feeling guilty. I honestly didn't care. I had just spent most of my money on food that I wouldn't even be able to eat now.

"Look… I can pay for that." He began to dig in his pockets. After what seemed like years, he pulled out a few worn out dollar bills. "There. Now you can go and get those eggs of yours." He smiled a crooked grin at me. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. He needs it more than I do. Look at him… He's wearing old clothes, and he has to dig to just find a dollar.

I shook my head, "You know what? It's ok. It was my fault to. I wasn't looking either. Keep your money. It was just a couple eggs."

Ray grinned at me, "You're alright, Beth. I'll see you around?" He patted me on the shoulder, and walked off down the path.

Before I could stop myself, I called out, "Wait! Ray! Why don't you come have dinner with me tonight? I was just on my way to buy veggies for dinner anyway. It gets kind of boring with just me and my dog…"

Ray looked back at me, "Wha-? Oh yea! That'd be great. I'll bring some fish." He waved and started once again down the path.

I blinked._ What did you just do? _I asked myself_. I asked him to come to dinner?_ I argued. _He hasn't tried your cooking has he? Better call the doctor to give him the heads-up._ "SHUT UP!" I yelled so several people stared at me.

I was now on my way to buy some crops for dinner. When I reached the farm, I walked right up to Liz. "I guess I'll take… spinach, carrots, corn, and tomatoes." I wasn't quite sure what the heck I would be making… I'd probably just throw some things in a pot and hope for the best.

When Liz handed me my purchase, she grinned, "I think you should grow your own crop, Beth. The feeling of growing your own food is wonderful. And if the quality of the crop is good, you can sell it for a nice profit."

"Thanks Miss Liz. The thing is, I just don't have the extra money around…" I admitted embarrassingly. How sad that I couldn't afford a bag of seeds. I only had a few pieces of gold left.

"Well, why don't you take a bag on the house? Let me know when they're done, alright?" With that she handed me a bag of turnip seed.

I took it, surprised that she was giving this to me. "T-thanks. I'll do that!" I grinned and headed out of the store. That's when I let out m sigh. When would people get that I wasn't planning on staying in town long? With any luck I'd be gone by the end of spring. I needed the money of course… Maybe I'd plant these things. Maybe. I could always dig in the mine though. That gave a good amount of cash.

With my grocery bag in hand I walked inside of my shack of a house to try and prepare dinner for tonight. _My worst enemy, the kitchen. _Ugh. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Hopefully. I began the simple task of chopping the veggies. When I finished that I plopped them into the pot, with a little milk for the stew-taste. It'd be great! I said as I poured a cup of salt in. This will taste delicious! It certainly smelled good only a few minutes later.

I sat down at the table. Ray should be arriving soon. It was ten to seven. No quicker had I thought that, there was a knock at the door. Ray stood in the doorway, raw fish in hand. He smiled at me as I invited him in…

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**A/N: Well, that's it for that chapter. Not that good, but I'm just having a case of writer's block I guess. **

**Sorry for the late update! Wow. It's been months since I've been able to write fanfiction. I had computer issues. :/**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon. **


	5. Dinner Disaster and Farming

"Wow. Something smells good. You cook?" Ray asked me as he took a seat at the round table placed in the center of the room.

"Well… um no. Actually I'm surprised it smells so good. I normally don't cook. At all." I blinked. Ray looked a bit concerned. For his health. I guess that wasn't the best thing to admit.

He laughed though. "I'm sure it'll taste just great," Ray gave me a crooked smile and took a large fish from his bag. It looked disgusting… I could practically see it staring right back at me!

Ray saw this look, and began to explain, "Rainbow Trout. Not the biggest I've caught, but they're still hard to catch."

_I'm sure it can't be _that_ hard to catch a stupid fish…_ I found myself thinking. I quickly shook my head to rid myself of this thought. Acting like a kid again. Maybe I was still a kid. With a sigh I turned back to stirring the stew. 

We didn't talk much, and it was a little awkward. I pretty much went into a kind of daze. I started to think about my life. _I wonder if Dr. Alex is the same Alex I dated back in 9__th__ grade? He was in 11__th__ when we dated. I guess they look similar if I think about it. But I haven't even seen my ex in 5 years… He moved a couple months into the year. I remember now… He was so cute. And my first boyfriend. He was always the shy, serious yet cute type. He was always so interested in his studies. Didn't he once tell me he wanted to be a doctor one day?_

The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed. I decided that maybe I'd go tomorrow and ask him where he went to high school. If he was… I wonder if he remembers me?

I started to think about my train ride over, and where I should be.

_If I just stayed awake… I could be living it up in NYC… I could be swimming in a pool and going to clubs and dancing the night away. Here, there's not even a bar or anything like that. I wonder if my cousins and friends miss me yet? They expected me days ago. Do they think I'm dead?_

I shook my head of these thoughts. I'd be there soon anyway. It just may take me longer than expected. I tried to think happy thoughts… Thoughts of… Joe.

_I wonder if he has a girlfriend… Oh, he probably doesn't even like me! He called me a kid after all. He's… just so damn cute though. Those chocolate brown eyes and dark brown hair… His smile's enough to make me want to die. _ I imagined Joe coming to my door and very cutely and nervously asking me out. Honestly, I kind of liked it when they were shy. I mean, straight forward is nice, but it's so cute when they're nervous… That's why I liked Alex. I shook my head once more. _No more silly little girl thoughts. You're acting like a love-sick kid who has a crush!_



A clang woke me from my day dreaming. I opened my eyes and let out a scream. The pot was boiling over, and the fire was out of control!

I desperately tried to beat the fire out with a towel, but you know what happened? The freakin towel caught on fire. "Oh my God… Shit…." I cried out and looked around for an extinguisher. 

"Why don't they have fire extinguishers in this stupid place!?" I yelled. Thankfully Ray came to my rescue. Ugh. Just what I need. A knight in shining armor to save poor pitiful Beth.

He gave me a strange look, 'Why didn't you just turn the fire down?" he asked and turned the knob to 'OFF' under the stove. 

I felt myself blush fiercely. "I-I… um…" I turned around, embarrassed. 

Ray looked down into the pot, "I hate to say it but, the food smells horribly. I think it's burned." He tapped my shoulder. "Take a look."

I peered over his shoulder, not surprised at what I saw. The food that I had chopped was shriveled and black, and smelled like burning rubber."Ick…" I grimaced. 

"Look. Sorry about this Ray. The truth is, I suck at cooking. I'll be a terrible housewife someday if I ever get married." I joked, pouring the ruined food into the trash, sad to see my money wasted.

Ray was laughing. _Is he laughing at me?!_ "It's alright. I brought a fish over, remember? I can just cook it up right now. It'll only take me about twenty minutes."

I nodded and sat at the table for the remaining time that Ray was cooking. He hummed while he cooked, and seemed to be having a good ol' time. I sighed and put my head in my hand.

When Ray finished, he put a plate of a delicious looking dish in front of me. The fish was cooked so well. It smelled like garlic and herbs. I could feel my mouth watering, so I took a bite. Oh. My. God. It was probably the best damn thing I've ever eaten... fish wise anyway. I looked up at Ray and smiled.

"This is so awesome! Where'd you learn to cook?" I questioned, interested.

Ray shrugged, "You pick it up. I guess living on my own for so long has given me reason, you know?

The food disappeared to quickly. I was sad to see it gone, but happy because it was the best. 

It was getting kind of late, so Ray had to get going. He stood at my door and offered me his hand in a handshake. Awkwardly, I shook it and smiled at him, "See you around Ray." 



He nodded at me and went on his way. 

I woke up the next day, determined to do something. I wanted to talk to Alex today, but at the same time, part of me wanted to plant some of those seeds I received. After all, I had to eat, and I couldn't exactly afford any more food… Besides, didn't someone say I could sell it?

I took a hoe from my tool box and marveled at how heavy it was. How the heck was I supposed to use it anyway? I hadn't farmed a day in my life! I put the watering can and seed in my bag, and carried the hoe at my side. After all, I couldn't possibly fit it in my bag.

Some villagers saw me outside of my house. I was looking to see the best place to plant. I wasn't sure crops would grow this close to the beach. I mean, wasn't the soil and all that sandy? I remember learning somewhere that the more fertile the soil, the faster the crop will grow. I had no idea where that was however. Then it hit me. I could ask Miss Liz. She ran her own farm. She should know.

I walked to her ranch, only to find out the door was locked. Great. Closed. Damn…

I was about ready to turn and leave when a pink haired girl (a little younger than me) stared me straight in the eye.

"Are you Beth? Hehe. My mom told me about you. I can't believe we're 13 days into the season, and you still haven't come to say hello! My name's Nina." She hugged me tightly all of a sudden.

_Oh great. She's one of those peppy preppy types…._ I sighed, wishing Ann was here instead of this little girl.

"Are you planting something today?" she asked me.

"Huh? Oh… yeah I am. Turnip seeds." I answered, raising my hoe up to show her.

"You should plant them by the river. It's very fertile there. You'll get a great crop." She smiled warmly at me.

I was grateful for the advice, but wanted to get out of there A.S.A.P. "Thanks, Nina. I should get to that planting now."

I walked slowly, contemplating in my mind how the heck I was going to do this. When I reached the river, I decided to just bring down the hoe in rows of three. It drained so much of my energy just to till one square. 



It took me about an hour but finally, I had tilled a 3x3 square in the ground. I smiled happily, but I still had more work to do. Ugh. But all I had to do was plant the seed and then water it. I should be done quick… right?

I took the turnip seeds out and sprinkled them across the dark soil. Of course, that had to be the easiest part. I dusted my hands off and pulled the very heavy watering can from my bag. Filling it with water by the river only made it heavier… I lifted the watering can with two hands, and dipped it so it showered water on a square. I repeated this 9 times. By the time I was finished watering, I was beat. 

I felt like I'd felt when I had been mining that one time. I realized I should be getting home, so I started heading that way. _I thought you were going to see Alex today? _I asked myself. _I'm way to tired to go see him right now! Coward. You're just to scared, aren't you? _ "I am NOT!" I yelled. Again, people stared at me.

I shook my heavy and tired head and hesitantly started to walk toward the clinic. I stopped at the door, my hand reaching for the knob. I swallowed and opened it quickly.

Alex was there, sitting at a desk, writing on something. Maybe a prescription of some sort? Whatever.

I walked up to him, tapped his shoulder and cleared my throat. "Alex? "

He turned around, staring at me with dark eyes. I knew it was him then. "Hello Beth. Are you feeling okay?"

"What… oh. I'm fine. IT's just, I wanted to know what high school you went to." I folded my hands.

"I went to Redwood for three years, then I transferred to Boris High. Why do you ask?"

My heart jumper. The school confirmed it. It had to be the same Alex. 

I smiled, but it faded, "It's just, so did I. I mean, I went to Redwood High School."

Alex looked surprised, "Really? Wow. What a coincidence!" 

I bit my lip. He didn't recognize me still? "Alex, did you, ever date a girl named Elizabeth at Redwood High?"

Alex gave me a strange look for a moment, "…Yes. Actually, we only dated for a couple months. It wasn't really ser-" He stopped, and his expression changed. "Elizabeth?" 



I nodded, and smiled nervously. 

He stared at me for a moment, mouth agape. "I had a feeling it was you. You just… look so different. Older, for sure."

I rolled my eyes. "Well it's only been five years."

Alex cleared his throat, "Well, I… It's nice to see you again, Elizabeth."

"I actually go by Beth now. Remember? I don't care what you call me though, Alex. I just can't believe I found someone I know here!" I resisted the urge to give him a hug. He just stood there, dark eyes darting around, looking uncomfortable.

He didn't say much else, and I could tell I should probably get going. "I… I'll see you later. Bye Alex."

I turned away and sadly made my way out the door. I felt bad now. What if he had never wanted to see me again, and I just brought back bad memories? I didn't want to think about it. 

Back at my property, I spent a long while just sitting on the shores of the beach. I had to have been sitting there for several hours, because the night sky was starting to show it's colors. I closed my eyes, and just laid down on my back. I felt sand move, and someone sit beside me. Joe.

I scrambled quickly and sat, running fingers through my hair nervously. "H-hi Joe."

Joe smiled at me, "Do you come here a lot? I do sometimes. When I just need some peace and quiet, you know?"

I nodded. I knew what he meant, for once. "Yeah. It's nice to just sit back and watch the waves." _ Wow. How corny._

We didn't say much else. Anything else said would probably ruin the peaceful mood. Joe glanced at me after about an hour more. 

"I should be going. It's late." He stood up and offered his hand to help me up. I didn't accept it.

"Thanks, but, I think I'll stay here a little longer." I smiled up at him, and of course he had to give me that gorgeous smile of his.

"No problem. See you around, Beth." With a wave, Joe to disappeared from sight.

**Ok, that's a wrap to that chapter. I could never really end up happy with it. I had many interruptions every time I tried to write it. Hopefully you guys liked it though! Let me know your thoughts.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**


	6. Like a Kid at the Races

Nothing to exiting happened the next couple of days. I woke up, walked to the river and sprinkled water on my crops, but I didn't really see anyone. I felt pretty anti-social. The good thing about all of that? Well, I picked up a note! It was the lone wolf note. Yea. I couldn't believe they were giving me notes for keeping to myself all day.

One the seventeenth of Spring I walked outside to water my crops as usual. I didn't see a single soul outside, but I did hear music coming from the square. Could another festival be going on? After I watered my meager plants, I ran for the square.

Sure enough, there was a festival going on. There was a large red tent stationed in the middle. People were walking inside, with smiles on their faces. So, being a curious kid, I had to check it out to.

Horses! My mouth must have been hanging pretty low, because several people stared at me. I loved horses. As a little kid, I had always wanted a pony for Christmas. Of course, I never got one. Living in a small house all your life, you know?

They were all beautiful. Some were being tended to by owners. I noticed Ann's crush, blue, cleaning a horse's hooves. The big muscular guy,_I think his name was Bob… _ brushed a blue horses mane. Jamie fed a carrot to a black stallion.

I wanted to care to one to, but whenever I got close, I was pushed away. What was this festival? A horse race. That had to be it… There was a chalk marked track outside. _Stupid kid… Even a kid would know _that_ Beth._

I left the tent to get some air. I had gone only a few steps when I nearly tripped over a huge dog. It wined an drooled all over me…

"Ugh… Get away you stupid—"

"I see he likes you." I looked up to see a light haired man looking down on me. "He usually doesn't take to strangers to kindly. You must be an animal person!"

I forced a grin. _Yea, that's it…_

"I'm Doug. I'm hoping to open an inn here one day."

I nodded, "Really?" I don't see why this guy couldn't have shown up last month…

"Yes. Actually I'm hoping to open it—"

"Is that you Doug?"

Doug turned around and let out a whoop, "Duke! It's good to see you again! Still thinking about opening that bar?"

Duke was nodding enthusiastically, "Yes! Next month, I'm hoping. Want to go talk business?"



Doug nodded his head for the millionth time and headed off with Duke. The dog followed them.

"I see you've met my uncle." Called a female voice from behind me.

I turned around to see a pretty young blonde girl, hair in a messy pony-tail grinning right at me.

"I'm Gwen. I love horses, so that's pretty much why I'm here. I love to race them especially."

I pursed my lips, "Beth. I'll be staying in this town for a while."

Gwen folded her arms, "That's cool. This village is a nice place once you get to know the people."

She disappeared soon after that. I smiled when I saw Joe. He was sitting on a bench laughing with his brother. Kurt wasn't smiling though. I wasn't surprised.

I started to walk over there, but I was distracted when I heard yelling coming from behind the tent. It sounded like two guys, so… obviously you know what I had to do. Check it out. I peered behind the tent to see two tan men (One old and one closer to my age) fighting with eachother.

The younger one was saying something about not losing a bet. The older one merely laughed.

The young one, stared right in my direction. His lilac colored eyes peered right into mine.

"Miss! Could you come here a second?" he charmed, and smiled, motioning me to come forward. Shyly, I did so.

"Hey girlie, think you could loan me about… 500g?"

My jaw dropped. Wha..?! He had called me over just to ask for money. Wow, even I didn't have that nerve. I mean, he didn't even know me!

"Miss? I'm waiting." He pressed.

_What the hell is wrong with this guy?_ I wanted to tell him a number of bad things, but I said in as nice a voice I could:

"Um… I kinda don't really have money myself." _Wow. That sounded totally winey, Beth. Shut up…!_

The young man looked angry, "Some nerve you have, kid! Whatever happened to kindness for strangers?!"

I narrowed my eyes, "Who the hell do you think you are!?" I balled up my fists at my side. We glared daggers at each other for a few seconds, before both of us were dragged away. The older guy pulled away that rude-cheapskate, and some gentle hands pulled me away,

"That's enough, Dan… I can't believe you would ask a little girl for money anyway…" said the older one.



Little girl. Hell no. Why does everyone think I'm a little kid!? I breathed deeply and started to shake. The hands on my arms tightened.

"Shh, Beth. Stop… Let's get away from here."

The voice was soft and familiar. I turned around to see Ray's gleaming blue eyes staring into my face. I felt like jelly, and nearly collapsed. But I managed to keep my balance. I guess I never noticed that Ray was so…

So what?

Ray had let go of me to go watch the races. I stood there like and idiot as the horses sped past me on the tracks. Ray…

The races had ended and I walked home feeling like a hollow shell. Ugh. I had to get out of this village.

My turnips were ready to harvest just days later! I pulled them from the ground and saved two in my rucksack for dinner later. I shipped the rest. To my delight, I earned a nice prophet. 180g for each one leaving me with 1,260g! Just about 10,000g more and I could leave this place, first class.

Summer approached rapidly. The heat was unbearable, but I did notice some new buildings up. I was taking my normal route around town when I cam across an inn. It must have been Doug's. Sure enough, when I opened the door, there was Doug standing in the lobby.

"Hi Doug. So, how much is it for a room?" I joked. Having this inn here a month ago would have been nice, but now that I had a shack of my own to sleep in, it seemed kind of silly.

"It's 350g a night. But you don't need one right?" He laughed at me.

"No. No I don't." I smelled something good cooking in the kitchen behind him.

Doug laughed at me, "Would you like some breakfast. Our chief, Gwen's making pancakes today. It's on the house, but just for today."

I happily accepted the pancakes. After all, who would pass up free food? When I finished, I went on my way, stopping in front of the next building. A bar. A real freaking bar. I was exited, but to my dismay, it wasn't open yet… I didn't think so. What kind of bar is open in the mornings anyway? This village was definitely starting to get more interesting.

I started to make my way to the river to plant some of the seed I had bought. (Yep! I actually bought some this time!) I was going to plant corn and cocoa. Chocolate. That's what Miss Liz said. Yea. I'm not going to miss the opportunity for chocolate.

I stopped when I noticed a new building next to the clinic. I walked up to it and read the sign which read: The Sanatorium.



I opened the door and carefully looked around. A girl with huge glasses and crazy blue hair greeted me. _Who the eff has blue freaking hair?!_

She bowed to me, "Welome. My name's Gina. I'm the nurse for a special young lady named Dia here. She's upstairs sleeping in her room."

I nodded, "Is that your natural hair color?" I blurted out quickly.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing." I covered.

I met Dia that day. She didn't really say much, and she looked kind of frail and delicate. I wondered if saying anything might break her or something.

I ran into Alex as I was leaving the sanatorium. I stumbled as my rucksack fell and spilled it's contents. (Just those tow turnips I'd put in there though) I groaned, "Sorry, Alex. I—"

He interrupted me, "It's ok. He picked up the two turnips and handed them to me, a gleam on his face. "Did you grow these on your farm?"

"Huh? Oh. Well, yeah." I shrugged.

Alex grinned back at me and laughed. "Mind if I try some? I love turnips."

Of course, I just couldn't say no to him. I couldn't forget about our relationship when he'd smiled at me.

"S-sure. Of curse." He handed me a turnip back and turned around.

I sighed and left the clinic.

When I walked past the bar again, it was about 7:00 pm. I walked inside to see several people at the counter. Including, Blue, Ray, and that jerk from the horse races. He seemed busy flirting with a light haired blonde girl though. He asked her for her name. I picked it up to be Eve. And her sign. Aquarius.

I took a seat by Ray, the only one I knew and liked even a little in this bar. I smiled at him and he smiled back at me.

"I didn't think you'd be the type to drink, Ray." I joked, leaning against the counter.

"I don't. Normally, anyway. But I need a little pick-me-up once in a while. Besides, I like it here. It's got a calm nature to it.

Calm? Not for long. Not before everybody gets drunk that is. I ordered a drink and took sips from it slowly as Ray and I talked the night away.



We talked about ourselves mostly. I told him about wanting to go to live in New York City, and he told me about wanting to live on an island somewhere. He said he wanted peace and quiet, when he could just sit back and fish all day.

I guess that made us opposites. But don't they say that opposites attract? No. Ray was just a friend. Besides, I had the hugest crush on Joe. I was going to totally tell him before I left…maybe.

But when Ray put his hand on mine after a few hours, my heart fluttered. I know it sounds corny but there it is.

I didn't move for a moment, but simply started into his eyes. He looked back at me until he burst out laughing.

"Wha…What!..?" I stuttered and slammed my fist on the counter.

"You're such a cutie." Ray grinned and removed his hand.

Damn… What did I do this time to get made fun of?

It was about 3 am before I decided I should probably get going. Ray told me he wanted to walk me home. After all, with all the creeps in this town, I should have an escort.

Hmph. Only a kid would need an escort. I shook my head, "Thanks Ray, but I think I'll be fine. It's only a little walk to me house."

He looked slightly disappointed, but nodded, "Well… alright. If you're sure then." He stood up at them same time I did and wrapped his arms around me in a friendly hug.

I was a little surprised, but of course I returned the hug. It lasted a little to long for comfort, so eventually I had to break it up, "Um… yeah. Bye, Ray."

I blushed as I left the bar.

**Ok, that's that for this chapter. Sorry it took so long. I've been busy. --**

**So, who do **_**you **_**want Beth to end up with? I'll take your vote into consideration. Because, I'm not all that sure right now. Will it be Ray? Alex? Or Joe? Tell me what you think/want to see.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of it**

**Next chapter: The swimming festival and very first date festival. Plus some rivalry between crushes. ******


	7. The Beach and the Bar

_I looked up at my calendar one morning early in the season, to find out that it was summer 3__rd__. __I can't believe it's been a month since I came here… _I thought to myself. According to the calendar, it was also Beach Day. I smiled. I loved the beach… I loved sitting on the shores of it near my house, just watching the waves crash against the sand…

After sprinkling some water on my sprouting crops, I decided to check out that beach festival. It'd be better than sitting around bored all day. Right?

I heard commotion coming from the beach when I went back in that direction. There was splashing, and cheering on the shore that day. I smiled to myself, and broke into a run, happy to be going to my kind of party.

What a party it was. Ha. There were beach chairs, fire pits, chips and dip, punch, fresh fruit, and fish grilling on sticks. The dock that stretched out into the ocean, was decorated with banners, and the water itself had four buoys scattered randomly atop it. Everyone was wearing a bathing suit, and I noticed a few people signing some clip board. Jamie had signed it, as well as Ray and Dan. Huh…

Eve had just joined the party, and was wearing a not-so-modest bikini. Of course, Dan ran right up to her and wrapped his arms around the poor girl. Ugh Dan still disgusted me. I'll admit he was pretty hot, but he was also a cheap lowlife, with absolutely no consideration for anyone else! Eve was giggling and Dan was tickling her. Eww. Gross. I looked away after they started making out. Ugh.

I saw Ann sitting alone on one of the beach chairs. She was wearing one of those baiting suits with a skirt. I walked up to her and sat down in the sand.

"Hi… Ann." I mumbled, trying to sound friendly_. She wasn't still mad right?!_

She glanced over at me with a blank face. "Beth."

I looked down. Yep. Still pissed.

"Look, Ann, I'm sorry about what I said about Blue, ok? I didn't mean it. You know me. I'm just a kid. I really don't think about things sometimes."

Ann glared, and I gulped. I must have looked pretty pathetic because…

"Hahaha! You should see your face Beth! Too cute." Ann smiled, "You're forgiven" she said and hugged me tightly.

I smiled, "So we're good now? I mean, you want to be my friend again?" _How absolutely desperate did that sound… eesh_

"Yea. Of course. But you owe me something. You gotta come over and help me with my inventions later. Got it?"

I shrugged, "Yea sure. No prob." I looked around, "So what's this festival about anyway?"

Ann grinned, "Only the best festival EVER! It's the beach festival. There's BBQ, a swimming competition, and awesome food. I'm not entering the competition, but it's fun to swim after it's over."

_A swimming competition?_ My eyes lit up. I love swimming, but I hadn't been in a while. Actually I planned on going swimming at my apartment when I got there. I had a bathing suit packed and--

"I have to go" I quickly said and rushed off. Ann looked back at me.

"What? It hasn't even started!"

I didn't answer back, and ran straight into my shack to change. My suitcase was still mostly packed so I started digging through the clothes and tossing them to the side, searching for my bikini. I finally found it after about 5 more minutes and admired it with a smile. The bottoms were those short boxer-short style and navy blue in color. There was a white ribbon tied in a bow like a belt. The top was halter-style and blue and white striped. I changed as fast as I could and grabbed a towel before rushing back to the beach.

The sign-up clipboard was still sitting on the table, so I took my chance to sign up. When I turned around, I smacked right into a passing Joe.

"Ouch…" I moaned from the sand, and put a hand to my head. Joe bit his lip.

"Oh jeez. Beth I'm sorry." He grabbed me by the hand and pulled me up, wrapping his arms around me in the process. He flashed his pearly whites at me and sighed.

"So, I haven't seen ya in a while. How've you been? How's farming?" Joe gleamed, his hand still on my hip.

I stumbled, "W- well… I-- It's good I mean. My crops are growing pretty guy… good."

Joe laughed, "Ever think about building something? A barn? Chicken coop? Maybe upgrade your house?"

I cleared my throat, "Umm… I don't think so. I don't really think I'll be staying much long--"

Joe moved his hand up from my hip, and I felt goose bumps from where his fingers grazed. He cupped my cheek. "Why not? You don't like it here or something?"

"It's not that… I…" I stopped talking. Joe moved his face closer to mine. I bit my lip. Just as he was about to kiss me, there was an announcement.

"The competition portion of the festival is about to begin!" announced the mayor. "Would all competitors please report to the docks."

I groaned softly and moved out of Joe's grasp. "I have to go. I'm competing…"

Joe gave me a crooked smile. "No problem. Good luck." he took my hand in his before he turned to watch the competition.

I bit my lip and stood there a few seconds before Gwen touched my shoulder, "Hey, kid. You alright?" I turned to look at her.

"Um… yeah. Just spazzing out a little. I'm fine." I shook my head and started for the water.

There were three people stationed in the water, each at a different buoy. Ray, Jamie, and Dan tredded water at the ready. I swam to the empty buoy, ready to start the race. There was a sound of a gun being shot, signaling the start of the race.

I touched the buoy next to me and shot forward, a destination clear in my mind. I swam straight for the blue buoy about 15 yards away. I tried not to watch the other competitors, but I couldn't help it. Ray had already hit his second buoy and was headed for the same one I was. Dan had touched only one and had already tumbled below the water. Jamie was… riding a dolphin. What the hell. A freakin' dolphin?! What a cheater! I saw him ride it to his second bouy and my blood boiled. That little… _Ok, Why don't you concentrate on the race, instead of worrying about Jamie?! … What? He cheated!… So what? Just go!_

I stopped talking to myself like an idiot and swam forward, shooting down into the water so I could swim faster. I saw a blue colored buoy dead ahead of me, so I surfaced and touched it, searching frantically for the next one. There was a red one stationed diagonally away from me, but was relatively close. I started for it, when I felt something under me. I felt water splash at me, and I was raised slightly above the water, and was racing toward the red buoy. I looked underneath to see the dolphin carrying me to it. I smiled happily. I guess it wouldn't be cheating if we all did it… right?

I touched the red buoy, and looked for the last one. It was the yellow one, and was a fair, but straight stretch from me. I looked to my side, and saw Jamie was going for the same goal. I narrowed my eyes and swam as fast as I could. It wasn't far now! I was going to win! But Jamie and I were neck and neck. I felt something pull at me a littler farther down, and I was pulled underneath the water in a whirlpool. I opened my eyes under water and looked around, shocked at what had happened. But if I stayed down there, I'd loose. So I shot up and swam forward. I didn't see Jamie anywhere. I could still win this! I closed my eyes and put my hand forward until I felt it smack something. I looked up to see the yellow buoy and cheered. I did it! I won!

The horn blew, signaling the end of the race. Everyone in the water was told to get out, so the winner could be announced. I smiled brightly and swam for the shore. They mayor smiled brightly.

"It was a very close race, but this year's winner is… Jamie!"

Jamie was smirking and jumping up and down. I turned my gaze. He must have finished when I was pulled under water… Oh well. Jamie was given a berry of some sort, and was cheered for. I had come in second after all. Ray was third, and Dan hadn't even finished.

I began walking away, not really in the mood to celebrate. I heard Ray calling me, but I didn't look at him. I could only see Joe. He was giving me a sad smile and was heading for me, arms wide. I shivered, and cracked a smile.

"If I hug you, you'll get soaked, just like me." I laughed.

Joe grinned, "But you look so cold! Besides. I brought you a towel." He unraveled a towel and wrapped it around me. He then pulled me forward and hugged me tightly, resting his head against mine.

"You did a good job. It really was close you know." he whispered to me.

I pulled away from him a little, but was still in his arms. "R-really… Thanks, Joe. You're sweet to say that."

"I'm not kidding!" he exclaimed. "Really, if that damn riptide hadn't pulled you under, you would've taken first easy."

I laughed nervously, "Thanks…"

"So, you want to get some hot tea? Or hot cocoa, or something? You look like you need it." he asked me.

I nodded, "Yea. Cocoa sounds perfect." _Hmm… seems a little immature, doesn't it? Isn't tea more mature? _Ok, I really didn't care right now. I just wanted some damn cocoa and didn't care if everyone called me a kid.

Joe smiled, "I love your kid spirit, Beth. You're not afraid to drink something like cocoa, thinking it'll make you fat or something. Can't say that about a lot of chicks." He put and arm around my waist and I smiled.

I looked up at Joe with adoration, and out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn to see Ray, looking… mad and something else I couldn't put my finger on.

Joe and I drank our hot chocolate, and stared up at the stars on the beach. Some people had left, but a lot of people remained, and many were dancing. I yawned, as it was getting late.

"Tired?" Joe put an arm around my shoulder. I closed my eyes slightly and leaned my head against his shoulder.

"A little bit. I think I'll be heading home soon, Joe.."

Joe looked up, "Yea. I guess it is getting kinda dark huh? Want me to walk you home?"

I gave a short nod and yawned again, "That'd be nice."

He stood up, and pulled me up gently with him. Slowly we made our way to my house. We didn't say much on the way. I really couldn't find the words. To tired I guess. We stopped when we got to my door. We faced each other and Joe smiled that brilliant grin.

"Good night, Beth. Have pleasant dreams." He squeezed my hand and kissed me on the cheek. I smiled right back at him and nodded, and opened my door.

"Yea. Good night." I watched him turn around and leave before I went inside to turn in for the night. What a night…

………………………………...

I woke up around 7 am the next morning, and rubbed my eyes. Last night had been so fun. I'd actually gotten to spend some time with Joe, and it seemed like he liked me after all! I couldn't be happier.

The day was passing pretty slowly. That is until I saw Ray and Joe near the river. I smiled and started to walk toward them, but stopped when I heard them.

Ray was smirking at Joe, a fish in his hand. "Hello, Joe. How's the fishing going?"

Joe shrugged, "Can't complain. Haven't really caught any today though."

Ray grinned (but it seemed fake…) "Maybe you just aren't cut out for this."

Joe gaped, "Huh? What?!"

"You heard me." Ray glared.

Joe balled up his fists, "You've got some nerve, Tarzan. Who do you think you are?"

"What!? Tarzan? Who you calling Tarzan?" Ray tossed the fish aside.

Joe threw his fishing pole down, "You! You're dressed in rags and your hair is long and matted!"

Ray glared, "You did not just make fun of my hair… You're going down, bitch."

_What's going on with these two?! I have to do something before either one ends up dead…_

"Stop it!" I yelled and stepped in between them. I put my hands on my hips and glared at Ray. "What's wrong with you!? Why would you start mocking Joe? Why would you think to hurt him?"

Ray stuttered, "What? Did you hear what _he_ said, by any chance?"

I slapped him as hard as I could. "Shame on you Ray…"

Ray looked positively shocked at first. Then it changed to looking as if someone had socked him in the stomach. I shook my head. _He _should _feel bad._

I turned to Joe. "I'm really sorry for what Ray did…" I moved my hands and caught his in mine.

Joe smiled at me, "No problem. I'm feeling fine, now that you're here."

Joe put his arm around me and I laughed. He walked with me away from Ray, who just stood there looking dumbfounded.

Later that night, Joe had accompanied me to the bar. We sat in front of the bar, in the same seats Ray and I had sat in weeks before. Life's funny that way.

Joe was buying all the drinks… so I admit, I was going a little crazy and was starting to feel a little funny.

"Haha… Joe you're so funny." I giggled.

Joe grinned but didn't really say anything.

"You know what, Joe? I really like you. You're so hot…" I slurred.

Joe's grin widened, "Really? Well I like you too, Beth."

I smiled, "Ooh…"

Joe put both hands on either side of my face and pushed his lips to mine. My heart fluttered and I kissed him back. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and deepened the kiss. After another few seconds, I had to break apart from him for air… Damn my need for oxygen.

Joe smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I could hardly believe what was happening, but the sad part was that I'd probably forget all about this in the morning.

"Joe… does this make you my boyfriend?" I asked hopefully. _I must sound pretty desperate._

Joe smiled and ruffled my hair, "We'll see how it goes, Babe."

……………….

**Yeah… There you have it. I'm **_**so**_** sorry it took so long. My Microsoft subscription ended, and it was a big mess. I'll try and update as often as I can now. It seems that Joe & Beth have something going on. The story isn't over yet though. So don't worry. :)**

**Next chapter:**

**Flashback time and star festival.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.**


	8. Flashforward to the Star festival

_"Liz…? Elizabeth? ELIZABETH!" I fluttered my eyes open at somebody shouting my name. I looked up to see none other than my best friend Katie. She was a rather short girl, with long red hair, always in a ponytail or pigtails. Her large blue eyes peered down at me from behind a pair of pink rimmed glasses She wore pink an awful lot, and with all of these looks combined on her, she looked pretty young, although she was my age. Katie and I were both 14, and we both went to Redwood high._

_"Hmm… What is it Katie?" I rubbed my eyes and yawned loudly._

_"The bell rang. Schools out now, weirdo." She looked at me with a shake of her head, "I know Bio's pretty boring and all, but jeez."_

_I looked around the empty biology classroom and sighed. This was the third time I've fallen asleep in the last two weeks. Luckily my teacher didn't care… Then again, half the people in the class were always sleeping._

_"Okay… lets go then. Are you coming to my house tonight?" I asked with a smile as I collected my bag and left the room._

_"Yea… Sleepover time! I can't wait!" Katie grinned._

_I nodded, "My parents have to leave for a couple of hours, but I said they could trust us."_

_Katie suddenly got this huge grin on her face, "Oh really?" She looked as if she was planning something. I felt myself go red._

_"Er… What are you--"_

_"Shh! You'll see tonight! Love ya!" she hugged me with one arm, and sped off with her books, giggling like a crazy person._

_Later that night, Katie appeared at my door carrying a large blue bag I assumed held her sleeping bag and such. I let her in and she put her stuff in my room._

_"So, why'd you run off earlier?" I asked her. She glanced at my parents._

_"Oh… no reason. I'll tell you in a bit."_

_The rents were saying something about responsibility, and left about ten minutes later. Katie waited until they pulled out of the driveway before pulling me by the hand to the living room._

_"Okay. I invited some people from school over."_

_I blinked at her, "What?!"_

_"Just a couple of people! I invited Lumia. I thinks she's bringing along a few of her friends… " she seemed to be hiding something, but I couldn't ask her, because there was a knock at my door and she had gone and opened it. A girl I barely knew came inside. She was a freshman to, but she was pretty popular… unlike myself. She had wavy brown hair and large smiling eyes._

_"Hey Kate!" she called and hugged her, "I'm bringing some of my __junior __friends along." she emphasized the word junior. I was a little surprised to find out she knew juniors…_

_Katie gasped, "Wow! You're so lucky Lumia…"_

_Lumia smiled, "Yes, I know." I was starting to not like Lumia so much. She seemed kind of snobby._

_Twenty minutes of waiting passed before we heard a car pull up. Lumia rushed outside to greet the newcomers. Five people stepped inside my house moments later. I didn't know any of them… but I had seen them around. _

_There were two very pretty girls standing by. One of them was a curvy, busty blonde girl giggling to herself. Her green eyes were lined with black liner. She wore frosty pink eye shadow and lipstick… I didn't like the looks of her. Lumia introduced her as Muffy._

_The other girl also had green eyes, but she didn't wear nearly as much makeup. She didn't need it. She was gorgeous without it. She wasn't quite as curvy as the other girl, but her delicate face made up for it. Light brown and blonde highlighted hair fell gracefully to her lower back. She was called Karen._

_There was a tall dark and handsome boy facing Lumia with a grin. His brown eyes practically saw into your soul, and his dark brown hair was spiked, although it still seemed a little relaxed. It looked good on him though. I found out he was called Kai._

_A tanned blonde boy with brown eyes stood grinning at us. He looked full of himself, and I felt if anyone spoke to him without cursing, it'd boost his ego… Lumia dreamily told us his name was Rock. Ugh… What kind of name is that?_

_The last boy stood nervously to the side, arms crossed. His dark eyes were glancing around in annoyance, and his messy black hair looked cute to me. I knew him… sorta. I watched him from afar in my math class. His name was Alex, and he was really smart…_

_Lumia brought everyone into the living room. Katie brought her bag over and had us all sit in a circle. The two of them were smirking, and I was feeling a little nervous._

"_Ok guys. You get to pick. Spin the bottle? Or Truth or dare?" Lumia giggled._

_I gulped and turned red. I'd never kissed anyone before… so I definitely didn't want to make a fool of myself by playing spin the bottle… but… truth or dare could get dangerous to._

"_Okayyy!" Katie called, "We'll play spin the bottle. Maybe we can get to truth or dare later." she giggled and sat down in the circle. Katie pulled one of those old fashioned glass coke bottles from her bag and placed it in the middle of the circle. Everyone around the circle had a different look on them. Muffy was giggling and blushing fiercely. Rock was grinning confidently, and taking a look at the girls. Kai was shaking his head and laughing, but he seemed to be checking girls out to. Alex looked a little bored and uncomfortable. Katie and Lumia were both smirking and giggling. Karen had a blank face on. I guessed she had probably had plenty of practice…_

_Lumia was the first one to spin the bottle. She was looking up at Rock who sat a few people from her, so she only gave it a weak spin. Unfortunately it landed on Karen, who looked alarmed._

"_Er… do over! " called Lumia. Katie shook her head._

"_Sorry Lumia. That's against the rules. Besides, it was your idea."_

_Lumia gulped, but went forward and kissed Karen's cheek, hoping it'd be enough. Karen sighed and shook her head, giving the bottle a good flick. It spun around once… twice… three times and stopped on herself. She spun it again, this time it landed on Rock. Lumia glared as Rock and Karen kissed. It lasted longer than I wanted to watch, and after a while Lumia cleared her throat and pulled them apart, "That's good guys…" she fumed, looking red in the face. Rock grinned at Karen, who only blinked at him._

_Rock then spun the bottle. It spun for what seemed like hours until it came to a stop on Katie. Katie flushed a deep shade of pink, but Rock shrugged. He seemed a little disappointed. Katie didn't notice this. He stepped forward and kissed her lips quickly. Katie was blushing pretty bad. I was pretty sure that was her first kiss, and I felt a little jealous. But… my turn would come._

_Katie spun the bottle and it landed on Alex. I looked up to make sure, and my heart dropped. Katie and Rock were both hitting Alex over the shoulder, but he was just staring off into space, like he didn't care. Katie stepped over to him and tilted her head slightly. Alex's eyes were open, and I could see his cheeks go a little pink, but it faded. Katie pushed her lips to his, and I felt a surge of jealousy go through me. She knew I liked him. How could she?!_

_I kept to my thoughts and didn't even notice when Alex spun the bottle. I heard a cheering go around the room, and I looked up in confusion to see everyone looking at me. I looked down nervously to find the bottle pointing at me. My eyes slowly traveled back up to meet Alex's eyes. He still had that blank stare in his eyes, but he was coming closer to me. Before I knew it, he had his lips brushing lightly over mine. I felt my heart beating like crazy, and hoped no one could hear it. I tried to kiss him back, but I only got my lip to twitch before he pulled away and sat back down._

_So it was my turn to spin the bottle… I flicked the thing and it spun so many times… Round and round it went, my eyes following to everywhere. It had landed on the handsome boy Kai. I gulped and pushed my lips to his awkwardly. Afterward, I had to admit, I wasn't paying attention to the game. My mind stayed on the fact that I had just kissed two boys. One of them being Alex._

_The game ended soon after, and Katie suggested a game of truth or dare. The game got pretty strange. Katie had to go outside and scream a random speech at the top of her lungs. Muffy had wrote it, and Muffy had given her the dare. Lumia dared Rock to kiss her, and they started full-out making out. Those who picked truth were asked questions like, "Have you ever sang into a hairbrush" or "Have you eve fantasized yourself with your best friend" Katie asked me:_

"_Truth or dare, Elizabeth?"_

_I picked truth._

"_Okay… Is it true you like Alex?"_

"_Umm… maybe."_

"_It's a yes or no question Elizabeth." Katie teased. _

"_Fine! Yes I do…" I answered, looking down at the ground, ashamed and embarrassed._

_Alex looked faintly pink by the time I had looked up again. _

_I didn't get to ask my question, because at that moment, Lumia's phone rang. She picked up the sparkly cell phone and answered it with a cheerful 'hello'. Her tone changed almost instantly. She screamed, "What?" and started to cry. She asked what she should do, and soon after she nodded and hung up the phone. Rock held her and asked what was wrong, but she shook her head._

"_I have to go guys… G-great p-party…" she said and ran out the door._

_No one really wanted to stay after she had gone, and after fifteen minutes, Katie and I were alone again. _

"_What was that about?" Katie asked me. _

_I only shrugged because I had no idea. I really didn't care though. My mind was on other things… Like Alex. _

My eyes opened with a start. I stared around my room, surprised to find myself in a wooden home. Then I remembered. I had been living on this ranch for a full season and a little more now. I stretched, remembering the night I had had with Joe. I then thought back to my dream. Why… was I having dreams of what happened years ago?

I got up slowly, when I heard a knock at my door. I rushed forward and opened it. To my delight, Joe stood there, beaming. I blinked a couple of times, wondering what he could be doing here.

"H-ey Joe." I tried to say calmly, but my heart was starting to beat faster.

"Morning Beth." Joe answered me, "You know what today is, don't you?"

I blinked, trying to think of what day it could be, "Um… Wednesday?" I shrugged.

Joe laughed, "Well, yeah. But specifically today is the star festival." He must have seen my confusion, so he started to explain, "It's this day where two people build a little boat together and then watch it float down the river. Pretty romantic. I don't normally go with someone, but do you want to check it out with me?"

My voice caught in my throat, but my heart was smiling. Joe was inviting me on a real date? I tried to calm myself down, and not totally jump into his arms, so I cleared my throat and just nodded.

"Great. Go ahead and meet me in the square at oh… sixish?" he said, then stepped forward and kissed my cheek. I watched him leave with a flush growing deep within my cheeks.

I swear I saw Ray walking away from my house from the corner of my eye.

The chores went by quickly that day, as I thought about what was going to be happening at sic pm tonight. Joe would put his arms around me and together we'd watch a candle lit boat- made by us- as it floated down the river.

I didn't see much of anyone that day. I assumed people were just getting ready for the festival tonight. I couldn't believe I had actually gotten a date for tonight… and with Joe! The cutest guy in this hick town.

I decided I should count up my earnings so far, so after I finished my chores, I headed home, and walked up to the bedside table. All of my money sat in here in sparkly gold. I counted up the coins and counted up about 4500g. Only a little more and I'd be able to buy a ticket out of here! I thought of my time here and of all the people I had met. All of the festivals I attended. I thought back to the horse races. All of the horses were so pretty, and I had really wanted one. I wondered if I could afford a horse? I could take it with me to New York…

Then I realized. A horse couldn't stay with me in a little apartment. Besides, even if I wanted to buy a horse here, the rules were that I had to buy a barn. And I sure didn't want to waste my money on one of those.

I thought of Joe. My guy. I didn't want to leave him here. Maybe he would move there with me? I thought about Ray, but shook my head. He deserved to be left here. Besides, he wouldn't like the city. There'd be no where to fish. I thought of Ann, who had forgiven me for calling this place boring, although I'm sure she still resented me a little.

I thought of my puppy Bandit. He was so cute, and he was starting to grow on me. I could take him with me, but then again, the apartment I would be living in didn't allow animals. I could always find a place for him to live… maybe.

Then I thought about the Harvest Goddess. Who I had promised to help. I'd collected about 12 notes so far, was that enough? They'd be alright without me. They could just get that purple guy to help her.

I was starting to think about leaving… Was it really for the best?

I didn't think anymore on it, because the clock read 5:45. My eyes widened, and my heartbeat quickened again. I rushed out my door and practically ran for the square. I didn't see Joe there yet, so I waited.

Ten past six, he finally showed up, grinning that smile I loved. He walked slowly to me, and took my hand, leading me out of the square and to the river.

We sat down by the river, and Joe took out some supplies from his bag. He took out some bamboo and a candle. He constricted the bamboo together with some twine, then gave me a pretty leaf to tie as the mast. I twisted it together and carefully connected it with the bamboo raft. It really did look like a mini sailboat! Joe took out a pretty smooth stone from his pocket. A moonstone. He placed it on the little boat, and held a candle out for me to light. I wasn't sure how safe it was to light a candle, but Joe explained nothing ever happened. Together, we set the boat in the river, and the current carried it away.

Joe put an arm around me and we watched it slowly sail away. I leaned against him, and explained I wasn't sure about leaving now. He looked back down at me.

"You're leaving?" he said with a sad look in his eyes.

"No!" I blurted, "I… I don't know. I came here by mistake see…" I started to explain my embarrassing story of arriving here, and how I was now waiting to leave.

Joe smirked all of a sudden. "I have an idea. All you have to do is give my 3500g." He smiled at me.

"What?! I've been saving forever!"

"Trust me, Beth. You'll like it. It'll all pay off, just trust me."

I sighed, staring deep into his chocolate eyes, "O-okay…" I finally said and pulled the money from my pocket. I guess I hadn't put it away after counting it. Maybe Joe knew that? Haha… Nah. He's not a stalker.

He took the money and grinned. "You'll find out what my surprise is in a few days, Babe." he said and kissed me softly on the lips. I kissed him back, and his hands snaked around my waist. He deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into my mouth, rather forcibly. It was strange… Almost like he was trying to gag me or something. After several seconds of this, I pulled away from him. So he wasn't the best kisser… he was still hot!

Joe walked home, leaving me to stand alone. I was fine with it though. Part of me wanted to just stand here and admire the beautiful river, but I was feeling very tired…

Something was glowing in the water. I leaned forward to get a better look at it. It was so pretty. Maybe it was another one of the boats? I reached forward, now leaning over the bank of the river… Before I knew what had happened, I tumbled headfirst into the icy water.

It was deeper then I had expected. I couldn't touch the bottom, and I could feel something trying to pull me down deeper… I thrashed about, trying to pull myself back to the bank to save myself. I couldn't do it. The current was pushing me fast, and pulling me down. It pulled me under, and with a gasp, I surfaced, screaming for help… It was no good. No one could hear me. I couldn't last much longer. Exhaustion washed over me and darkness was surrounding me. I was going under for the last time… I felt something grab me, but I knew it to be death.

--

**That's the end of that chapter! I'm SORRY it took me so long to upload this. I've been sort of busy, but I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can, as I have left you with a bit of a cliffy. ;P Sorry about that. There will be more flashbacks in chapters to come, because we have to carry on the story of her past. Who was Lumia on the phone with? What grabbed Beth? Find out in the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.**


	9. Ray

"_Did you hear what happened to Lumia?" Katie asked me about a week later._

"_No… why? What's wrong with her?" I asked. Lumia had been absent from school for a week, ever since she'd gotten that phone call. People had been making up a lot of rumors._

"_Her parents died. She has to go and live with her grandma in the countryside."_

_My jaw dropped, "That's awful!"_

_Katie nodded, "I know… She came crying to me yesterday. It's across the sea about 10 hours from here. Can you imagine? No shopping? No school? No cute buys? There might not be any reception!"_

_I shook my head, "That's terrible for her…" I knew it was wrong, but part of me was glad she was moving.._

_Katie looked up at me, "Karen's moving to. I guess her family wants to open up their own business." she sighed, "Why is everyone suddenly leaving the suburbs? What's so great about the countryside?"_

"_I don't know! I know I would hate to live there!" I answered back._

_Alex walked past my locker with a couple of friends, and glanced at me with a smile. I blushed and shut my locker promptly._

_Katie giggled, "He likes you. Kai told me." she slapped my shoulder, "You should ask him out, girl."_

_This idea surprised me, my parents would never approve, "What? A girl ask a guy out? Isn't that kind of… I don't know--"_

"_Don't be stupid, Elizabeth. Every girl does it nowadays. Look, just do it. The worst that happens is he says no!"_

_I gulped. She had a point… "Okay… Fine! Let's go then." my heart was beating a mile a minute. I couldn't believe I was doing this… Alex stood at his locker, spinning the lock to open it. He was alone._

"_Hey… Alex?"_

_He turned around, looking surprised to see me, "Oh. Elizabeth, right?" he blinked._

_I blushed. He knew my name! "Y-yeah. That's it."_

"_Oh. Well, what can I do for you?" he opened his locker and put a book away._

"_I was wondering if… maybe you'd want to go out… that is… with me sometime? "_

_Alex blinked at me, color flooding to his cheeks, "Oh… well… I'll think about it, alright?" he answered and shut his locker, then turned on his heel and walked away._

_I looked at Katie, who was giving me a hopeful look. "See? He's going to think about it!"_

_I shrugged, "Yeah… Well maybe he just didn't want to hurt me. Who'd want to go out with me?"_

_Katie slapped my shoulder, "Lots of people!" she glared at me, "And I'm not kidding!"_

_She was right though. Because the next day, Alex took me to the side after math class to talk to me. _

"_I've been thinking about it." he told me._

_My heart leapt to my throat and my palms were sweating, "R-really?"_

"_Yes. I've decided I'll give you a chance." he said and did something rare. He smiled._

_I beamed, "Thanks Alex." I could hardly hear anyone else over my heart._

I smelled a delicious scent wafting through the air. I opened my eyes slowly, to find myself staring up at a rocky ceiling.

"Mmm…"

I moaned and tried to sit up. Pain surged through my body. I lay back down and put a hand to my head. There was a cool cloth there.

"I see you're awake." said a familiar voice.

I looked around this place, still not quite sure where I was. I saw Ray sitting not to far from me, stirring a small pot of a delicious smelling substance over a small fire that looked newly made.

"Wh-where am I?" I breathed out.

"My place." he said simply. "I know it's not much, but I didn't know where else to take you. I guess this is the first thing that popped into my mind…"

My eyes began to clear up and I glanced at where Ray lived. It looked like a small circular cavern, big enough for one person to sleep in and maybe even move around a little. The ceiling was low, so I guessed you had to stoop to stand. You could fit two people, and not tall people at that, and stretch them end to end to get the diameter of this little room. Ray's fishing rod leaned against the mostly empty wall. The only other things against the wall were a suitcase, (it was open and I could see it contained thread, bandages, alcohol, and other first aid type things) a knife, a pair of raggy pajamas, matches, a bar of soap, wooden utensils, and a washboard

I looked down at where I was laying. It appeared to be a wool blanket, sewn to another one, stuffed with straw. Another wool blanket covered me, although it was dirty, I appreciated it. My heart sank. Ray lived here? How could he stand such a small space? He didn't really have anything, yet he always had a smile on his face. I wanted to hug him, but my side hurt.

"What… what are you making?" I asked, the scent coming to my nose.

"Broth. I put the herbs and spices from the mountain in it, and mix them with veggies. Then I boil it and drain the broth from the vegetables. Together, the broth and spiced veggies make a good dinner. The broth is also great for the cold." he said calmly and drained the soup into a wooden cup. The steam coming from the cup made my mouth water. He looked up at me and handed me the cup of broth.

"Thanks…" I smiled and sat up, pain going through my side, but I ignored it. I took a sip from the soup. It was… amazingly delicious. The warmth of it flooded through me, and I did actually feel better. I wanted to know what had happened, so after another drink of the hot broth, and turned to Ray.

"What happened?" I asked, as I really didn't remember.

He looked up at me, and took a bite of veggies on a wooden plate, "Well, as I didn't have a date for the star festival--"

I frowned, "Oh… you didn't have a date?" I felt sorry for him.

"Nah. The girl I wanted to go with went with some other guy." he looked hurt all of a sudden.

"Aww, I'm sure she'll come around and see she'd rather be with you." I smiled.

Ray looked up at me and shook his head, then continued "Anyway, I decided to go fishing, as I had nothing better to do. Besides, all of those lights attract the big fish." he smiled again, "Now, it was getting late, so I decided I should be getting home. Most of the couples had gone home by now, so I was a little confused when I saw you standing by the river, alone. I saw someone walking away from you, so I thought you'd leave at any second, so I turned around. The next thing I heard was a splash, and then someone screaming for help. I turned around instantly and saw you scrambling and trying to get to land. Apparently you had fallen in."

I blushed, the memories of last night suddenly flooding back to me.

"I didn't waste any time. I threw down my fishing pole and dove in the river. I swam to you as fast as I could. You had lost consciousness. I pulled you up from the bottom of the river. You were so… pale… I thought I hadn't made it in time. I thought you were gone. I carried you all the way to my house and started pounding on your chest, trying to get you to revive. Er… sorry if I hurt you."

I was blushing. Had Ray really carried me all the way here? I shook my head and continued to listen.

"So I eventually got you breathing again, but you were still passed out. You have no idea… how relieved I was that you were okay. But now I had to make sure you weren't bleeding or anything. I checked you for a concussion, but you seemed okay. Your legs were a little scratched up, and your wrist is sprained." he nodded at my right wrist, which was wrapped up in a bandage. "But for the most part, you were okay." So… I put you down in my bed to rest, and left to look for some herbs. I knew when you awoke, you'd be freezing, and you may even be in shock, so I was going to make you some broth…" He gulped down more veggies, "I half expected you to be gone when I came back, but you were still sleeping. So I started making the food, and here we are." he finished.

I smiled, "Thanks Ray. For saving my life." I finished off my broth and leaned forward and hugged him tightly. He patted me with a soaking wet arm, and I pulled back to find that I was now damp. "Ray… you have to get yourself dry. You're going to catch a cold if you stick in those cold clothes, you know."

Ray shrugged, "I'll be alright."

I suddenly remembered Joe. He must have been wondering where I was! I stood up, nearly hitting my head in the process, "I'm going now, Ray. See you around!" I waved and stumbled out of the little cave. I looked around to find myself in an unfamiliar place. After walking a little farther, I found out that I was only behind the lake a little. I had never really passed these trees before.

I ran to the carpentry shop, and lurched the door open. Joe was there, talking to Woody. When I walked in, he immediately looked a little like something had been spoiled, but he smiled. "Hey Babe. What're you doing here?"

I breathed deeply, "H-haven't you b-been wondering wh… where I've been?" I said through deep breaths.

Joe blinked, "Um… Sleeping in, I guess?" he shrugged.

"No…" how long had I been at Rays'? I guess not long. "I just got back from Ray's place. I--"

"What were you doing with him?" Joe asked suddenly.

"What?" I blurted, confused at his sudden tone, "N-nothing. I almost drowned last night. He saved my life."

Joe's face turned from jealous to worry in the next second, "Beth… Thank Goddess you're safe." he said and hugged me tightly.

I felt at peace again. "Let's go do something today Joe." I suggested.

Joe shook his head, "Can't. I'm getting you surprise ready. You'll have to run along and play with one of your little friends." he said and shoed me with a hand.

I gaped, "But…"

He smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry. We'll hang out later. For now, just enjoy yourself. Go talk to Ann or something. Go to the bar, go to the inn and chat with inn. Just keep away from here, or your surprise will be spoiled."

I sighed, then began to turn away. Maybe I'd help Ann with her inventions.

"Oh. Beth? I want you to stay away from Ray." he added in a cheery, yet serious voice.

What did he mean? I was about to ask, but, he had gone back to speaking with Woody. What was up Joe today?

**--**

**Two chapters in two days. Told you I'd get it up quick! I'm not sure when I'll be able to write the next chapter, but it'll be here pretty soon, I hope. What did you think about this chapter? Let me know! Reviews make me super happy. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**


	10. Summer Heat

_It had been about a month since Alex and I started going out, and it was a-ma-zing. No one had really heard from Lumia since she'd moved, and Karen had left for some place called 'Mineral Town' just last week. Oddly, Kai, Katie, Alex, Muffy, Rock, and I hung out a lot more now that those two girls had gone._

_Kai had asked Katie out, and the two of them started going out two weeks ago. Muffy and Rock weren't dating each other, but they always flirted. _

_One day after school, Kai drove us to the beach in his jeep. We roasted marshmallows, and laughed the night away._

_Muffy dressed in a black and white striped bikini, with a matching black bow in her hair. Katie wore her pale pink two piece with a miniskirt tied to her bottoms. Alex wore a t-shirt and long shorts. Rock wore a speedo, (that didn't really surprise me), and Kai wore dark blue trunks. I couldn't help but gape at Kai. He definitely looked the best at the beach. Toned arms, six pack. Katie had to slap me to get my attention._

_"Elizabeth!"_

_"Huh?"_

_"I said, do you want to go surfing with me and Kai?" _

_"What? But I've never been surfing before!"_

_"Neither have I! But we'll be safe with him!" Katie blushed and kissed Kai's cheek._

_"Well… I don't know… I don't want to be the third wheel with you two." I admitted._

_"You won't have to! You can ride with Rock! I hear he surfs to."_

_I glanced at Rock, who was grinning at me, holding his own board. _

_"I… " I looked down, "Is that fair to Alex?"_

_Katie frowned, but seemed to understand, "I wish you'd come…" with that, she joined hands with Kai and they ran for the water's edge. Eventually Rock got Muffy to come along with him._

_I walked back toward to campfire and sat down next to my boyfriend. "Hey." I muttered._

_"You could have gone with them. I wouldn't have minded." he said blankly._

_"Well… I would have rather stayed here with you anyway." I smiled, "Besides, I couldn't surf out there and watch Muffy sink her claws into you back here!" I punched his shoulder playfully._

_Alex shrugged. I cleared my throat, "So… "_

_He looked back up at me, but didn't say anything. Yeah… The entire month we'd been going out, we really didn't talk much…_

_After a little while, the four came back from surfing. Katie was beside herself. Kai had his arm around her, and she was beaming and blushing. _

_Eventually we all sat down around the fire. We told ghost stories, embarrassing moments, you know, everything you do around a campfire. Somehow the talk came to what you wanted to do with your life._

_Katie mentioned that she'd love to manage a coffee shop. She didn't care where, she just wanted to make little coffees and cakes and then give them to people. She hinted that she was an excellent cook. I tried to hide my laughter. I'd tried her cooking. Let's face it. It was pretty far from excellent._

_Muffy said she'd always wanted to be a homemaker. This surprised me greatly. She was the last person I expected to want to settle down and raise a family. She also mentioned that being a professional dancer would be great._

_Alex didn't go into much detail about what he wanted to do. He just said he wanted to be a doctor._

_"That's a great goal!" I piped up. I hadn't really spoken yet, but I did admire the fact that my guy wanted to save people._

_Alex grinned at me, and Muffy and Katie giggled. "That_ _is__ great, Alex." Katie nodded, 'Saving lives? It's you to a 'T'!"_

_Rock laughed, "I could never imagine so much work!"_

_Muffy, who had been holding onto Rock's arm, asked, "What do you want to do, Rocky?"_

_Rock leaned back on the sand, "Why work? I mean, what's the point? My parents are rich. They're always paying for all of these exotic meals. We're always moving to these crazy places. I'm pretty much set."_

"…_You mean, you're going to live with your parents the rest of your life? Even if they take you places you hate?" Kai raised an eyebrow._

"_They never take me places I hate, and why not? This way, I'll never have to work! It's awesome."_

_Kai shook his head, "I can't imagine that. The second I turn 18, I'm leaving my parents."_

_Katie cooed, "That's so sexy… Mr. Independent…"_

_Kai grinned, "I'll probably move around a lot, though."_

_Katie blinked, 'Why? You're leaving me?"_

"_That's not what I meant, babe." I can't stand the cold, you see. I'll probably travel the world, just staying until it starts to get cold."_

"_So, that's it? You just want to be a world traveler?" I asked._

"_Well… Actually, I've always wanted to be a chef. Maybe run my own restaurant?"_

_Katie clapped, "Wow! Just like me! Maybe I could travel with you, and we could open our own place! We'd call it… Katie and Kai's." she blushed, "I can't wait."_

_Kai looked a little uncomfortable at that thought, but nodded, "Um.. Yeah."_

"_What about you, Elizabeth?" Kai questioned me._

"_Me? Well, the only thing I know for sure is that I'd like to live in the city. I've always wanted to be a Broadway actress! I could move to New York City, or Hollywood! Oh, it'd be so awesome…"_

_They all laughed at me, in a friendly way._

'_Well, if you ever make it big, I'll be sure to come watch you." Kai stated._

"_And afterward, you can come to me and Kai's restaurant~!"_

I was pretty lonely the next few days, and things were honestly really boring. I managed to pick up a couple of notes, and now I had 15. I visited the spring, and was surprised when the notes I had collected jumped from me. They spun together and formed instruments. This place was very strange…

I woke up one morning to find Joe, Kurt and Woody standing at my door..

"Um… hey?" I breathed. What were they doing here?

"Well, we built it." Woody nodded. Built what?

"Yup. I guarantee sturdiness." Kurt nodded.

Joe grinned at me, "You're gonna love it, Babe."

Woody and Kurt eventually left, leaving Joe standing by me, grinning.

"Joe. I didn't order anything. What did they build?!"

"Your surprise. Don't worry. I supplied the lumber. So I got you a good deal."

"What is it?" I asked, curious.

"Close your eyes." I did, and Joe took me by the hand and led me a few yards away. He told me to open my eyes, and I did, to find…

A small barn sitting in front of me. He built me… a barn? Why?

"Um… Thanks? Why'd you build me a barn?"

Joe looked a little disappointed. "You don't like it? I thought you'd like it. Now you can buy animals and such."

I shook my head. He planned this. He knew I was thinking of leaving, and he'd purposely built me a barn so I'd have to take care of animals before leaving.

"No. It's great Joe… It's just…" I paused, "It's great, okay?" I kissed him on the cheek and he smiled slightly.

"Later, babe." He patted my shoulder and walked off of my land.

I sighed. A barn? Really? I stayed in the entrance of it for the longest time before I decided to explore it a bit. While inside, I swore I heard something squealing. Like a pig squeal! I turned abruptly and saw a little piglet charging at me! It was pretty cute, but what was it doing in here? Had Joe bought it for me?

"Oh Piggy!" I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard this, and almost jumped out again when I saw who said it. There stood a fat man with huge lips, dressed entirely in purple!

"That's my piggy!" he said simply.

I was about to hand him over, when the man said, "Yes, he's going to make an excellent dinner tonight!"

My face drained of color and I slapped him hard across the face, and grabbed the pig, refusing to let him have it.

"I was just kidding…"

"You disgust me!" I yelled at him, "How could you do such a thing!"

"I was kidding!" he yelled in defense.

"I don't believe you! I'm not letting you have this pig!"

He bit his lip, "Fine by me. I can get myself another pig. Just so you know, I don't eat them. I just use them to find truffles. You can have that one."

With that, he turned on his heel and left my barn. I stared down at the pig, who had calmed down, and groaned, realizing I had just gained another pet… What to call it?

After a while, I decided on calling it 'Porkchop'. Kind of an ironic name, but it seemed cute at the time, and he responded to it.

The fireworks festival was coming up, along with my birthday on Summer 26th. I grinned happily. Fireworks, and my birthday. In one week. What could be better?

I pretty much ignored Joe's tip to avoid Ray. Who did he think he was? He didn't own me!

Ray and I walked along the river, and I happened to mention that Joe built me a barn, materials on him.

"Did he?" Ray shrugged, "Wonder why he did that…"

"I don't know! He also told me not to see you! Isn't that weird?"

Ray nodded, "It is…"

"I mean, it's not like we secretly love each other, right?"

Ray was silent for a couple of seconds before agreeing with me. Things were awkward for several minutes.

"So… my birthday's coming up." I started, hoping to break the silence.

"Oh yea? When is it?"

"The 26th." I grinned "Are you going to get me anything?" I joked and batted my eyelashes.

Ray smirked, "I'll try and work something out."

"I was just kidding, Ray. Just a 'happy birthday' would be good." I blushed.

"Well, alright then. Forget about your present." he joked.

The fireworks festival came faster than I thought. Before I knew it, I was at the beach on a cool summer night, waiting for the show to start. I met this shy new guy at the festival named Louis. He didn't say much to me, and after introducing himself, he walked the other way.

I talked to several of the villagers, including Ann. She looked pretty exited, and I couldn't blame her. I knew she like explosions a little to much.

I saw Ray starting for me. I beamed at him, and he asked me nervously if I wanted to watch the fireworks with him. I blinked, taken aback. I looked around for Joe, and when I couldn't find him, I agreed. What was the harm of watching fireworks with a friend?

We'd only been watching them for a few minutes, when I heard foot steps behind me "Hello, Ray, Beth."

I turned around and smiled. Joe was here! "Hi, Joe!" I smiled and moved to hug him, but he pushed me away. He rolled up his sleeves and glared at Ray.

"What do you think you're doing with my girlfriend?" he demanded.

Ray narrowed his eyes, "Watching the fireworks. She needed somebody to watch them with when her knight in shining armor didn't show up."

"I had work to do! Just because I'm a little late, doesn't give you the right to jump all over her! I know what you want to do, and do you honestly think I'm going to stand by and let you?"

"Oh yea? What do I want to do?"

Joe shook his head and reared back. He brought his fist in contact with Ray's eye with great force.

I shrieked, 'JOE!"

Ray staggered backward, but got back up, holding a hand to his eye.

I couldn't believe what Joe had just done. I tried to get in the middle of them, but Joe pushed me aside forcibly.

He socked Ray again, in the jaw this time. Ray spat, and I watched in horror as a blood-covered tooth flew from his mouth. Just as Joe was about to strike again, I stepped forward and pushed him aside,

"What the hell is wrong with you, Joe!?" I demanded.

"Him! He's trying to get with you, I know it!" Joe glared at Ray.

I shook my head, "Ugh! Stop it! Ray and I are just friends. And that's all we'll be! I promise you. You don't need to freak out like this!"

Joe smirked at Ray, who was looking a little bit gloomy. I gave Ray an apologetic look for what Joe had done and was about to apologize verbally, but before I could say anything to him, Joe yanked me by the hand farther along the beach, away from Ray.

I couldn't enjoy the fireworks the rest of the night.

I didn't talk to anybody the next day, but I didn't get any notes this time.

I woke up on my birthday, not feeling cheery at all, and not wanting to deal with Joe, or Ray for that matter. Maybe Ann and I could go and excavate together later…

I opened the door, only to find Ray standing there wearing a broad smile.

"Morning, Beth." he greeted. "Happy Birthday."

I felt a smile come to my face almost immediately, "Thanks, Ray."

"I have something for you." Ray shifted his weight.

"Aww, you didn't have to get me anything…" I was a little worried what Joe would think if he say Ray on my doorstep, so I wanted to hurry this along.

"Follow me." he said and headed for my barn. I cocked my eyebrow and followed him into my barn.

"I remember how exited you were at the horse races… then I heard you say Joe had built you a barn, so I thought it'd be a perfect gift."

My eyes widened. He didn't…

He did. I covered my mouth in shock when I saw a beautiful dark brown pony with a gorgeous black mane and tail cascading down. It had a diamond shaped black mark between its honey colored eyes, and white socks on every foot except the back left.

I couldn't speak, I just stared at the baby horse.

"…Do you like it?" Ray asked after several seconds.

"Ray… I.. I love her. Thank you so so much…" I turned around and leapt at him, hugging him as tightly as I could. I didn't want to let him go, ever. I couldn't believe he'd gotten me a horse!

Tears were starting to form in my eyes, and when I pulled away from the hug, to look into his, I saw in horror that one of his eyes was still purple and swollen.

"I'm sorry for what Joe did to you…" I breathed, letting go of him, "I can't believe he hit you."

"Don't worry. I'm fine now."

I wiped a tear that had fallen from my eye, "How did you afford her?" I asked.

"Well… I started saving a few weeks ago. I stopped drinking at the bar at night, and I sold some of my fish to the inn. I brought in the money and even had enough to buy the reigns and brush." he said. With that, he handed me a rope.

"When it gets big, you can even ride her." He also took out the brush, "She loves getting brushed to."

I took the brush from Ray, and stepped to my new beauty and brushed her side. She whinnied in pleasure.

I stared into her eyes and came up with the perfect name. Honey. It matched her perfectly. Her eyes were the exact shade of it, and she was sweet as it.

"You're so beautiful, Honey." I giggled, "Ray… I'll never be able to thank you enough. This is the best birthday present I've ever gotten…"

I turned back to him. Ray was smiling back at me with one blue eye. (His other was swollen shut). There was a pause, and I stepped closer to him. Ray also took a step closer to me… I closed my eyes and parted my lips ever so slightly. I knew what was coming… and my heart was pounding. Within seconds, our lips were touching.

It didn't last, because I pulled away, and slapped myself on the forehead, "God… I'm sorry, Ray."

Ray didn't respond.

"I mean… I shouldn't have done that… Joe's my boyfriend… and you know how he is." I turned away from him, "Thanks for Honey, Ray." I couldn't meet Ray in the eyes, and I didn't turn around until I heard his footsteps leave my barn.

**I finally got a new chapter up! Yay! Aww… Joe built her a barn, for all the wrong reason, but still. And Ray got her a horse! Wonder what's going through Beth's mind right now? **

**Read and Review, please.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**


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